Those teams will play in Atlanta on June 14. Either result would carry a compelling storyline if the Rapids advance. RSL is RSL – the Rapids’ Rocky Mountain Cup rival. Rapids left back Chris Klute, meanwhile, is a former Silverhawks player who was on loan to and then transferred to the Rapids.

[media-credit name=”George Frey, Getty Images” align=”alignnone” width=”495″][/media-credit] Colorado’s Nick LaBrocca goes against Real Salt Lake’s Kyle Beckerman in their first game this season, on March 16 in Utah.

The Rapids on Saturday take to Stage 2 of their annual Rocky Mountain Cup rivalry against Real Salt Lake — and in prime position to win their first Cup trophy since 2006.

Two games in the three-game derby this season will be played in Colorado. And the Rapids already stole a point on the road, three weeks ago, in Utah with a 1-1 tie.

The Rapids starting XI before facing Real Salt Lake in the first leg of the 2012 Rocky Mountain Cup.

This installment of Rapids player ratings come courtesy of Craig de Aragon, a longtime Rapids fan, committee member with the Class VI supporters group and current Rapids correspondent on the “Around The League” show on the Champions Soccer Radio Network:

Over Easter weekend, the Rapids went to Salt Lake City and put up a performance as bad as the smell of the leftover deviled eggs.

From the outset, Oscar Pareja’s curious lineup had Rapids fans looking down the rabbit hole. But the script played out similarly to recent Rocky Mountain Cup games: intense play, bad officiating going against the Rapids, and another loss.

The only sweet treat to this game was when the referee signed the final whistle and the Rapids could hop back on the bus to head home.

Real Salt Lake captain Kyle Beckerman, a former Rapids fan favorite, added some fuel to the fiery rivalry between the teams on the eve of Wednesday night’s showdown in Utah.

“They won a championship, they had a good run,” Beckerman told the Salt Lake Tribune. “But let’s see them do it over a season. Then we’ll see if they’re going to join the elite.”

Beckerman apparently believes the Rapids simply got hot at the end of the season, much like RSL did the season before. RSL barely made the playoffs but won the MLS Cup.

“We went out and won” a championship, Beckerman said, “but they didn’t put us in the elite because we won. It was after what we did last year and continue to do this year that now they’re starting to say that we’re in the elite at the top of this league. I think [the Rapids] still have some work to do. They definitely won the championship, but they still have work before they can be in the elite.”

Daniel was first introduced to soccer at age 6 while living in Düsseldorf, West Germany. He played youth soccer in West Germany until age 9, and then in Seattle, where he is originally from. He works as the day breaking news editor and also contributes on the Rapids beat.